Obama’s Climate Legacy: A Long and Painful Road

WASHINGTON — American Energy Alliance President Thomas Pyle issued the following statement on President Obama’s final State of the Union address:

“President Obama has never failed to deliver a good speech, and tonight was no different. The president spoke at length of his climate and energy legacy—touting his carbon regulations and his ‘investments’ in wind and solar technologies. Unfortunately, a legacy is comprised of more than just speeches. When it’s all said and done, the president’s legacy will be marred by higher energy costs for those who can least afford it, and fewer economic opportunities for young Americans just beginning to enter the workforce.

“Under President Obama’s direction, this administration has shot down commonsense infrastructure projects like the Keystone XL pipeline, pushed regulations that will shutter low-cost power plants, and wasted billions of taxpayer dollars on unreliable sources of energy like wind and solar. These actions have benefited favored industries and special interest groups at the expense of American families. The lone bright spot has been the boom in oil and gas production. And while President Obama again took credit for low gasoline prices, this has so clearly and obviously happened in spite of his policies, as he has stifled energy production on federal lands and waters.

“For many Americans, the election of President Obama represented a path toward real hope and change in Washington. However, after seven years, this final State of the Union address represents the end of a long and painful road for the American people.

“As the president stated, in a year from now he will be right here with us as a citizen. We won’t be waiting that long to unravel the legacy of bad decisions that he has made for the past seven.”